Balancing the World Cup 2010 (II): Guest Blog

As part of this mini-series on “balancing the World Cup 2010”, I am pleased to present the article below, by Gor - one of Myweku’s writers, as a guest post kindly contributed exclusively to this blog by Myweku’s editor Nii Thompson:


Just a Jamboree


Last year India shot a billion dollar rocket into space. Many were dismayed by the priorities of the Indian government. The billions spent on the space program could have been better spent on projects to ease poverty and other socio-economic problems on the sub-continent. This year, the irony of big budget event against a backdrop of urgent social discrepancies in Africa played out not once but twice.

Angola is only just emerging from the negative effects of a 3 decade civil war. 60% of her population lives on less than a dollar a day and she is in dire need of schools, electricity, sanitation, water and public health infrastructure. Despite these pressing socio-economic issues, the country forked out $1billion to host the 27th Africa cup of nations in January this year. Most of the money went towards building stadia and hotels.

In South Africa by the time the world cup kicked off, government and FIFA had spent an estimated $6 billion on ‘requirements’ to host the world’s biggest sporting event- $1 billion on new and upgrading old stadia, $8 million on public transport infrastructure, and $ 2billion on security, branding and marketing.

South Africa is classified by the UN as a middle income country; she has abundant supply of resources, a developed financial, communication, energy and transport infrastructure and a vibrant stock exchange market ranked among the world’s top 20. Nonetheless half of the 50 million South Africans live on less than $1.25 a day. She is globally ranked 129 out of 182 countries on the Human Poverty Index (HPI). South Africa also has one of the highest crime rates in the world earning Jo’burg the unenviable title of ‘murder capital of the world.

(…)

Psychologically, this year’s tournament may reverse stereotypes of the Dark Continent, and Africans get to brag that they delivered a world class event. Even so, this tournament has exposed Africa’s general inferiority complex; it is a colonial mentality to go to such great efforts to pull off a ‘party’ yet the same resources could have been deployed towards uplifting living standards of the average South African. Perhaps a Ghana win would have vindicated such wanton spending on a jamboree.


[Full article here]


Related post: O CAN da "nossa" Globalizacao...

As part of this mini-series on “balancing the World Cup 2010”, I am pleased to present the article below, by Gor - one of Myweku’s writers, as a guest post kindly contributed exclusively to this blog by Myweku’s editor Nii Thompson:


Just a Jamboree


Last year India shot a billion dollar rocket into space. Many were dismayed by the priorities of the Indian government. The billions spent on the space program could have been better spent on projects to ease poverty and other socio-economic problems on the sub-continent. This year, the irony of big budget event against a backdrop of urgent social discrepancies in Africa played out not once but twice.

Angola is only just emerging from the negative effects of a 3 decade civil war. 60% of her population lives on less than a dollar a day and she is in dire need of schools, electricity, sanitation, water and public health infrastructure. Despite these pressing socio-economic issues, the country forked out $1billion to host the 27th Africa cup of nations in January this year. Most of the money went towards building stadia and hotels.

In South Africa by the time the world cup kicked off, government and FIFA had spent an estimated $6 billion on ‘requirements’ to host the world’s biggest sporting event- $1 billion on new and upgrading old stadia, $8 million on public transport infrastructure, and $ 2billion on security, branding and marketing.

South Africa is classified by the UN as a middle income country; she has abundant supply of resources, a developed financial, communication, energy and transport infrastructure and a vibrant stock exchange market ranked among the world’s top 20. Nonetheless half of the 50 million South Africans live on less than $1.25 a day. She is globally ranked 129 out of 182 countries on the Human Poverty Index (HPI). South Africa also has one of the highest crime rates in the world earning Jo’burg the unenviable title of ‘murder capital of the world.

(…)

Psychologically, this year’s tournament may reverse stereotypes of the Dark Continent, and Africans get to brag that they delivered a world class event. Even so, this tournament has exposed Africa’s general inferiority complex; it is a colonial mentality to go to such great efforts to pull off a ‘party’ yet the same resources could have been deployed towards uplifting living standards of the average South African. Perhaps a Ghana win would have vindicated such wanton spending on a jamboree.


[Full article here]


Related post: O CAN da "nossa" Globalizacao...

Balancing the World Cup 2010 (I)

The extracts below are part of an article by Dr. Martyn Davies published as a guest post in the Financial Times' blog on the first day of the just ended Football World Cup in South Africa:


The World Cup is a chance to unite a divided country with big ambitions


The FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa that begins today evokes the international honeymoon that our country enjoyed after the first racially inclusive democratic elections that were held in April 1994.

Could we have leveraged the “honeymoon” better? Perhaps. Whilst South Africa has re-integrated into the global community of nations, it has not integrated domestically. Economic divisions between South Africans have never been starker. Our country grapples with providing opportunity for the majority of its citizens. The term developmental state - so often bandied about in government circles - has yet to become a reality providing for its needy and impatient citizens. But nevertheless, we are a leading emerging market economy.
(...)
Being the powerhouse economy of the region, we project ourselves as the springboard for investors into Africa. The World Cup is not only ours but the region’s. The Southern African Development Community - a grouping of 15 states - has a population of over 250 million people. We are bigger than Brazil, bigger than Indonesia. Some of our neighboring countries probably do not deserve the “FIFA dividend” but regardless, we feel we deserve greater global attention, and the World Cup, at least for a month, is giving it to us.
(...)
The only disappointment will be Nelson Mandela’s absence from the World Cup’s opening ceremony due a family bereavement. But at least the memory of Mandela’s leadership takes us back to a time when we believed in the rainbow nation before successive and divisive politicians destroyed that dream for us South Africans. South Africa will never realize its full potential on the global stage if it remains so internally divided. A plea from a patriotic South African to our politicians - please do not undermine the national and racial cohesion that is being brought about by the World Cup to South Africa. Rather, give us an inclusive vision for the country way beyond 2010. The FIFA World Cup has the potential to serve as the catalyst for the revival of our once hoped-for rainbow nation.


[Full article here]


Related post: Just a Jamboree

The extracts below are part of an article by Dr. Martyn Davies published as a guest post in the Financial Times' blog on the first day of the just ended Football World Cup in South Africa:


The World Cup is a chance to unite a divided country with big ambitions


The FIFA World Cup being held in South Africa that begins today evokes the international honeymoon that our country enjoyed after the first racially inclusive democratic elections that were held in April 1994.

Could we have leveraged the “honeymoon” better? Perhaps. Whilst South Africa has re-integrated into the global community of nations, it has not integrated domestically. Economic divisions between South Africans have never been starker. Our country grapples with providing opportunity for the majority of its citizens. The term developmental state - so often bandied about in government circles - has yet to become a reality providing for its needy and impatient citizens. But nevertheless, we are a leading emerging market economy.
(...)
Being the powerhouse economy of the region, we project ourselves as the springboard for investors into Africa. The World Cup is not only ours but the region’s. The Southern African Development Community - a grouping of 15 states - has a population of over 250 million people. We are bigger than Brazil, bigger than Indonesia. Some of our neighboring countries probably do not deserve the “FIFA dividend” but regardless, we feel we deserve greater global attention, and the World Cup, at least for a month, is giving it to us.
(...)
The only disappointment will be Nelson Mandela’s absence from the World Cup’s opening ceremony due a family bereavement. But at least the memory of Mandela’s leadership takes us back to a time when we believed in the rainbow nation before successive and divisive politicians destroyed that dream for us South Africans. South Africa will never realize its full potential on the global stage if it remains so internally divided. A plea from a patriotic South African to our politicians - please do not undermine the national and racial cohesion that is being brought about by the World Cup to South Africa. Rather, give us an inclusive vision for the country way beyond 2010. The FIFA World Cup has the potential to serve as the catalyst for the revival of our once hoped-for rainbow nation.


[Full article here]


Related post: Just a Jamboree

1960-2010: “The Year of Africa” 50 Years On (IX)

THIS DAY IN 1960:

On July 1 1960 Ghana was declared a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its president. Ghana's first independent administration was inaugurated on March 6 1957 with Kwame Nkrumah as prime minister.

THIS DAY IN 2010:


Ghana flag euphoria grips SA 2010

Writing from Johannesburg, sportscaster Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah takes an unusually spiritual look at the chances of Ghana's Black Stars against Uruguay in quarterfinals of 2010 Fifa World Cup Finals.

"In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it," Barack Obama quote from his February 10, 2007 Presidential announcement.

On numerous occasions, I have heard prominent Africans say that the only difference between Ghana and America is that America is a century ahead of Ghana. True or false? Harsh reality or exaggerated view? So does the flag of Ghana have mystical powers?


We may all have our own answers and interpretations to these frustrating questions but there is a powerful and mysterious phenomenon unfolding here at the 2010 World Cup Finals that has NEVER been witnessed before in the previous SIXTEEN editions.

It is the obsession to sign the red,gold and green flag of Ghana. It may appear all too simplistic and even romantic but WHY is President Jacob Zuma so keen to sign his best wishes on the Ghana flag along with his predecessor Thabo Mbeki? What about the former Kotoko (1968) and Black Stars (1969) and most recently coach of Bafana Bafana Carlos Alberto Parreira?

[Read More here and here]

Related Post:

On the 50th anniversary of Africa's 1st independent nation: Remembering Kwame Nkrumah

THIS DAY IN 1960:

On July 1 1960 Ghana was declared a republic with Kwame Nkrumah as its president. Ghana's first independent administration was inaugurated on March 6 1957 with Kwame Nkrumah as prime minister.

THIS DAY IN 2010:


Ghana flag euphoria grips SA 2010

Writing from Johannesburg, sportscaster Yaw Ampofo-Ankrah takes an unusually spiritual look at the chances of Ghana's Black Stars against Uruguay in quarterfinals of 2010 Fifa World Cup Finals.

"In the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it," Barack Obama quote from his February 10, 2007 Presidential announcement.

On numerous occasions, I have heard prominent Africans say that the only difference between Ghana and America is that America is a century ahead of Ghana. True or false? Harsh reality or exaggerated view? So does the flag of Ghana have mystical powers?


We may all have our own answers and interpretations to these frustrating questions but there is a powerful and mysterious phenomenon unfolding here at the 2010 World Cup Finals that has NEVER been witnessed before in the previous SIXTEEN editions.

It is the obsession to sign the red,gold and green flag of Ghana. It may appear all too simplistic and even romantic but WHY is President Jacob Zuma so keen to sign his best wishes on the Ghana flag along with his predecessor Thabo Mbeki? What about the former Kotoko (1968) and Black Stars (1969) and most recently coach of Bafana Bafana Carlos Alberto Parreira?

[Read More here and here]

Related Post:

On the 50th anniversary of Africa's 1st independent nation: Remembering Kwame Nkrumah

World Cup Blitzzzzzz!

Abangoma - Hugh Masekela

Abangoma - Hugh Masekela